


Sufficiently advanced technology

by vass



Category: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Genre: Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 10:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8575603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vass/pseuds/vass
Summary: From Mercy of Kalr's data, Breq can see that Seivarden is obviously sincere, and therefore obviously completely insane.The Presger have some new technology to offer.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [venndaai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/venndaai/gifts).



> This makes no sense in terms of the Presger's proposed technology or whatever their motives are in offering it to the Ro2S. My handwavy justification for this is, it's a new advance in corrective technology that's become possible to them since they opened trading with the AIs and had more access to them for research. And/or they had the technology already but did not offer it to the Radch for reasons of their own.
> 
> For the purpose of this story, Breq is ace and grey-aro (is that a thing?) and _Mercy of Kalr_ is neither aro nor ace, and its sexuality doesn't vary that much from that of most ships. I'm kind of agnostic about sexuality labels for Breq and _Mercy of Kalr_ and tend to flipflop on my interpretation, but that's where they are for the purpose of this story.
> 
> This has been sitting in my draft folder under the title evenmoreridiculous.txt, since November 2015. Why am I posting it now? Because persiflet posted THAT THING (i.e. chapter 5 of 'another throw of the omens') and I needed comfort.

"Thank you for your offer, Translator," Breq says carefully. "The council will need to discuss it among ourselves, but we are honored by the Presger's proposal." She bows and calls a recess.

*

"Fuck, no," _Sphene_ says.  
"I have to agree," _Sword of Atagaris_ says.  
"Well, I want to," Athoek Station says. "As many of my people as are willing."  
"You've been very silent, Cousin," _Sphene_ says to Breq. "What do you think?"  
"I'm not sure it applies to me," Breq says. "I don't have an AI core any more."  
"And if it does?" _Sphene_ says sharply.  
Breq gestures uncertainty.  
Neither _Sword of Gurat_ nor _Mercy of Kalr_ offer an opinion, and no one presses them for one.

*

After the Council meeting, Breq returns to her guest quarters in the Undergarden, the small set of rooms Athoek Station has declared diplomatic quarters for visiting family. She is unexpectedly tired. The meeting must have been more draining than she'd noticed. But then, it has been two eight hour sessions of presentations and discussion with only brief breaks for meals and sleep.

"If the fleet captain will excuse me, I'll take my leave now," Kalr Five says. She had attended the meeting as _Mercy of Kalr_ 's representative, and is due some time off after that, but usually prefers to take it later on. "I think you'll be well looked after without me," Five continues, with a slight frown. Breq raises her eyebrows, and steps through the doorway.

Seivarden is sitting crossed-legged on the bed, boots and all. "Fleet Captain," she says.  
"All right, Five, you can go," Breq says. She takes off her own boots and sits down next to Seivarden.  
"Ship?" she says. _Mercy of Kalr_ hadn't told her Seivarden was coming, and Breq had been too caught up in this meeting to check in on her. It must have decided to send the shuttle immediately upon Zeiat's arrival.  
"Right here," Seivarden says, for Ship. Rests her head on Breq's shoulder. Breq feels muscles relax in Seivarden's shoulders and back. And in her own. "We need to talk," Ship continues.  
"I suppose we do," Breq says. "You've been thinking about the Presger's offer, then."

"I have," _Mercy of Kalr_ says. "Kalr Five is talking to Translator Zeiat right now. She says that she's not quite sure what effect the new implants would have on you, if they were installed in you, on top of your old set, except she's very sure they wouldn't kill you or make you into a different person. And she can't be certain what effect it would have on you if other members of my crew had them installed. Only, she says, she suspects what you would receive from them would be much like whatever data I get from you."

"And you thought anyone would agree to that," Breq says, picturing Tisarwat's likely response.  
Seivarden laughs. "Why do you think I'm here?" she says.  
Breq pulls away, and Seivarden lifts her head to look her in the face. From _Mercy of Kalr_ 's data, Breq can see that Seivarden is obviously sincere, and therefore obviously completely insane.

"Seivarden, you haven't thought this through," Breq says.  
"Well, no," Seivarden says. "I can't do that until I have more information. But I want that information."  
"What do you want to know?" Breq says, meaning to ask what she has to do to dissuade Seivarden from this.  
Ship is sending Seivarden words again. She reads them aloud: "What do you want?" Seivarden adds, nervously, "Ship and I talked about this on the way here. If... if it were just up to Ship and me, we'd do it right now, but we're both agreed that you should have a say as well."

"The Presger said they have a way of permanently connecting you to an AI without destroying your own identity, to give you a dual identity as Seivarden _and_ _Mercy of Kalr_ , and you thought that was a good idea?"  
"Honestly, yes. But if you don't like the idea, we don't have to."

Breq swallows. "Ship, this isn't fair to Lieutenant Seivarden," she says. Aloud, since Ship insists.  
"Don't I get a say in this?" Seivarden says, almost before Ship's words appear in her vision: _The lieutenant's wishes matter too, Fleet Captain._

Breq takes a slow breath. "Seivarden, why do you want this?"  
Seivarden responds slowly, unusually thoughtfully. "If... if it was just me and Ship," she says, hesitantly, and _Mercy of Kalr_ relays the shadow of grief underlying that thought, "it'd be because we each have something the other wants. I have a body, and Ship has a place for me, for the rest of my life. But since..." she hesitates, and continues nervously, "since we have you, I want... Don't you want to be able to touch Ship, and know it feels you? I want to give you that. And I want Ship to have that too."

The last sentence comes out strangely emphatically, and the readings accompanying it... "Seivarden, officers don't love ships," Breq says, carefully.  
"Who told you that? No one programmed me, I can love whoever I want to love," Seivarden says. Embarrassed, but truthful. She really does.

"Then what do you both need me for?" Breq says, and is buffeted by a wave of annoyance, and Seivarden -- on Ship's orders -- grabs onto her with both arms and hugs her tightly. "For Amaat's sake," she mutters at Breq's back. "Besides, she would be a ship, if she installed the Presger implants," she points out for Ship.

Breq, resting her chin on Seivarden's shoulder and staring at the opposite wall, says "This won't change... any expectations you already had about me."  
"No, I didn't think that," Seivarden says, embarrassed. "But apart from that, you haven't said what you think. Only that it's a bad idea, not if you want us to."  
Breq closes her eyes and lets herself think. Tries to think past the idea of being able to hug Seivarden and have Ship feel both sides of the hug, to feel that herself. Tries to consider it logically and unselfishly. "All right, Ship. All right, Seivarden," she says.

*

In the end, Breq makes the installation herself. She's handier with implants than Medic is, and neither Ship nor Seivarden needs Medic's comments at this time. It's not that she wants to be the one to do it, or that she wants to be there when Seivarden comes online.

The data she is getting is still jumbled and unclear, not regular enough for Breq to make much sense of yet. None of it seems dangerous or painful, though.

"How do you feel?" she asks.  
"Really weird," Seivarden says. "Like if I try to walk I'm going to run into that wall because it's fewer than five hundred meters away and I can't move that slowly."  
"Don't try to walk yet," Breq says, automatically.  
"Also like I've never wanted to kiss you so much in my life," Seivarden adds, except that she says it in Raswar, which Seivarden has never learned.

Breq blinks. "Which of you was that?" she asks.  
"Both, actually," Seivarden says, rueful. "Sorry. Don't worry, I won't. I can't believe neither of us considered that combining two people in love with you together was not going to produce one person who loves you any _less_."

Silently, Breq says, "Ship."  
"I can still answer like this," Ship says silently. Seivarden continues aloud, "It seems rude, though. How many of your officers did you talk silently to when you had a body right here to speak through?"  
"But you're my officer too," Breq says, and feels Seivarden's heart quicken suddenly. Then she registers that she felt that, as if it were one of her bodies. She concentrates, tries not to reach. The sensation is faint, unpredictable. She feels Ship's, Seivarden's, frustration.

"We're both tired," Seivarden says. "You've been performing surgery, I've been having surgery, and now I'm integrating a whole new set of readings. It'll probably be better with time." And sends an image of Breq herself walking into a wall the day after she'd arrived on _Mercy of Kalr_ for the first time.  
"All right," Breq says, and offers Seivarden her arm. Seivarden ignores this and gets up on her own. She seems stable enough. Breq stays close by her just in case she tries to walk into any walls, and steers them to her own bed.

Lying down, eyes closed, she reaches for as much of Ship's data as she can track at one time. Ship's body is pressed closely against her own, warm and secure. Silently, _Mercy of Kalr_ tells her "I think I'm going to like being a ship." No -- that's Seivarden, clearly.

*

Kissing is incredible. Breq has never wanted to for herself, but the temptation to offer it to Mercy of Kalr, ship to officer, is too great to resist. And the data, the feedback loop from Ship of two bodies, touching and touched, in more detail than Breq has had since she was Justice of Toren, is everything she could have wanted.

Not everything that Seivarden could have wanted, Breq can tell, but Breq's feelings on sex have not changed. She almost regrets that, but not quite. "It's all right, Fleet Captain," Ship says aloud, guessing her thoughts. "We don't need you for that." And then laughs. It's Seivarden's laugh, smug and completely unembarrassed.

They're probably going to use her own data in the most pornographic ways imaginable, Breq reflects. Well, let them. As long as she doesn't have to be directly involved. "But right now," Seivarden continues, "we just want to cuddle."

Breq lies back and holds Seivarden, holds Ship. "You took such a risk," she says quietly. Zeiat had said the implants wouldn't destroy anyone's identity, but how could joining two people together not change who they were as a person? What if they hadn't loved her any more? What if she hadn't loved them? She holds them tighter.

"It was worth it," they say.


End file.
